Governor hopes bailout will help human services
Friday, January 9, 2009 12:17 PM PST
SALEM (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski hopes to use the ballooning federal bailout package to bolster Oregon’s human services, which would be hard hit under his December budget proposal.
Speaking at the Capitol Thursday, Kulongoski said the state might be able to use federal Medicaid allocations to free up some of the state’s own cash for various social services.
In his budget proposal, Kulongoski called for reducing the amount of money to provide in-home care for some 6,500 seniors and the disabled as well as state child care subsidies for 3,500 low-income working families. Another 100,000 adults could lose dental and vision benefits under the Oregon Health Plan while about 3,000 low-income Oregonians could lose access to community-based mental health and drug and alcohol treatment programs.
